Samer Abu Daqqa
سامر أبو دقة
Killed by Israel using Unknown Weapons
Killed by Israel on 15 Dec 2023
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Archivist Notes
Samer abu Daqqa, سامر أبو دقة, a 45 y/o camera operator for Al-Jazeera Arabic since 2004, was killed by a drone strike while covering the aftermath of nightly Israeli strikes on a United Nations school -Farahana School- sheltering displaced people in the center of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to Al-Jazeera and Reuters news agency. His colleague, Al-Jazeera bureau chief Wael Al Dahdouh, whose wife and children were killed in an Israeli air raid on 25 October, was wounded in the arm and waist in the same strike as Abu Daqqa. But while Al-Dahdouh was able to be transported to the hospital, Abu Daqqa was unable to be moved for medical care and could not be reached for hours by first responders, according to Israel’s Foreign Press Association. He was trapped with other injured people in the school, which was surrounded by Israeli forces, and was unable to be evacuated for treatment. According Al Jazeera, "Following Samer's injury, he was left to bleed to death for over five hours, as Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment" .
The Israeli army said it approved a route for a Palestinian ambulance to access the scene but the medical van chose another route and was blocked.
The FPA said the 45-year-old father of four, who had worked for Al Jazeera since 2004, was its first member to be killed in Gaza in the war. “We consider this a grave blow to the already limited freedom of the press in Gaza and call on the army for a prompt investigation and explanation,”
Al Jazeera said it “deems this incident a deliberate attempt to target its correspondents and their families in the besieged Gaza Strip”. Al Jazeera managing editor Mohamed Moawad said: “His unwavering commitment to truth and storytelling has left an indelible mark on our team. Samer, whose lens captured the raw and unfiltered reality of life in Gaza, was not just a skilled professional but a compassionate soul who understood the power of visual storytelling. His courage in the face of adversity allowed the world to witness the untold stories of a region grappling with complex challenges. In the pursuit of truth, our cameraman faced immense risks to bring viewers a deeper understanding of the human experience in Gaza. His lens became a window into the lives of those affected by conflict, shedding light on stories that needed to be told.”
On December 17, Al Jazeera claims preparing a legal file to send to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over what it called "the assassination" of one of its cameramen in Gaza.
https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/journalists-killed-israel-gaza-war/
https://cpj.org/data/people/samer-abu-daqqa/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IetbaIcbyX0&ab_channel=NBCNews
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/15/israel-hamas-war-live-us-shifts-tone-but-says-israel-support-steadfast
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/12/funeral-held-al-jazeera-journalist-killed-israel-strike
https://realites.com.tn/fr/gaza-le-cameraman-dal-jazeera-samer-abu-daqqa-tombe-en-martyr/
https://www.newarab.com/news/al-jazeera-refer-killing-cameraman-gaza-icc
https://theintercept.com/2024/01/12/al-jazeera-journalist-israel-gaza/